Stampede

A horde of monsters was rushing at Loine.

This information was transmitted to all relevant places in a flash.

The soldiers defending the town fortified their defenses mainly around the western gate, close to the Wartz Great Forest where the monsters had emerged.

The remaining few closed the north and south gates and led the residents to the east gate.

In case the west gate was breached, this was to enable a swift evacuation.

However, the situation of having to evacuate meant that the town could not avoid being abandoned.

If a horde of monsters of that scale were to gather, the chances of the residents being able to escape would be almost nil.

At the western gate, they were now dealing with the monsters that continued to spring forth from the forest.

No matter how sturdy the gate, if it continued to be attacked by thousands, tens of thousands of monsters, it would be breached.

While the infantry held back the attack on the gate, they eliminated the oncoming monsters.

Archers supported the infantry from the top of the city gate.

Monsters of low intelligence and level were easily trampled by the soldiers.

Among them, the performance of Theo, the captain of the Royal Knights, was eye-catching.

He was at the forefront, swinging his great sword and scattering the monsters that attacked.

With a single swing of his great sword, dozens of monsters were turned into chunks of meat.

By fighting with the braveness of a lion on the front line, he maintained the high morale of the soldiers following him.

And among the soldiers clad in regular armor were the adventurers.

They, too, were going to the front lines with swords in hand in the face of the town’s crisis.

Most adventurers, primarily operating alone or in small parties, were not suited for group combat.

However, they were experts at slaying monsters, grappling with them daily.

Those who had a grasp of the monsters’ behavior and weaknesses were no less effective than the soldiers.

In no time, the battlefield was piled up with the corpses of monsters.

However, the situation showed no signs of abating.

The forest continued to spew out monsters, and their momentum showed no sign of waning.

If this were a minor stampede, the matter would have been settled by now.

That fact testified that the current incident was a clear “abnormal situation.”

A barricade was hastily constructed in front of the southern gate.

Inside it, at the adventurer’s guild’s operational headquarters, a response to the monster raid was being discussed.

“How is the evacuation guidance for the general residents?”

“We cooperated with the soldiers and completed it a while ago. Now we are checking for residents who have not been able to escape.”

“Preparations for evacuation to the royal capital and Vaitz town are also in place.”

Rei, the guild master, received reports from the staff.

She anticipated the case of the western gate being breached and had instructed adventurers of D-rank and below to prioritize escorting residents.

“How about weapons and magic potions?”

“We have enough weapons in stock. However, if the battle drags on, there might be concerns about the supply of magic potions.”

“I see… If the stock of magic potions falls below a quarter, please consider substituting with ointments and other materials.”

Rei had somewhat predicted the signs of the stampede.

Thus, the response to evacuation was prompt.

However, the investigation of the Wartz Great Forest by Theo and his soldiers had just been completed.

Because the procurement of materials was still halfway done, there were concerns about the quantity of reserves.

“Excuse me.”

As guild staff discussed how to deal with the stampede, a party of adventurers visited the operations headquarters.

A young man armed with a longsword and a buckler.

A giant man boasting a muscular body rivaling Theo’s, carrying a tower shield.

A girl holding a strangely twisted staff.

They formed a balanced party of a swordsman, a shield bearer, and a witch.

They were the B-rank adventurers party, 【Brave Sword】, based in the royal capital.

They were one of the parties that Rei had asked to investigate the forest.

“I’m sorry for calling you in. How’s the situation?”

“It’s tough… is the honest impression. There are too many coming from the forest. And though they’re few, there are high-rank species appearing, so if we let our guard down, the front could collapse.”

The leader, the swordsman Peter, reported his analysis of the frontline situation.

During this stampede, most of the monsters that had appeared were primarily goblins.

For this reason, to the soldiers and adventurers, they were insignificant enemies.

However, even if they were just goblins, if you had to deal with dozens, hundreds of them, fatigue would inevitably accumulate.

If fatigue reached its limit and concentration was lost, even the diminutive goblin could become a serious threat.

Moreover, the existence of high-rank species was also a concern.

Monsters such as orcs and hobgoblins, with high attack and endurance, were a heavy burden for low-level soldiers and young adventurers.

The occasional ogres that showed up were either exterminated by Theo or a combined effort of experienced soldiers and adventurers. That was the current state of things.

“The number of soldiers, adventurers, and combatants is also a problem. The more time it takes, the less manageable it becomes.”

“The lack of magic users, especially in the rear guard, is also troublesome.”

The shield-bearer Dominik and the witch Emma commented on the battle strength.

The issue of battle strength becomes more apparent the more time it takes.

A stampede is a battle of attrition.

If there’s a lack of relief personnel, it becomes impossible to suppress the number-driven attacks of the monsters.

Magic users excel in both offense and defense.

They have the role of helping the vanguard by reducing the number of monsters due to their high annihilation power, and the role of healing the wounded and returning them to the frontline.

However, both were lacking in the town of Loine.

But that was also inevitable.

Normally, the monsters that appear around Loine are weak and few in number.

Even though the Wartz Great Forest is adjacent, it was not supposed to be a location where a stampede would occur.

Therefore, the number of stationed soldiers was small, and the adventurers were mostly beginners.

There was no reason for top-tier adventurers who can use magic to stay.

Monsters that don’t seem to end.

Combat power that wears out with each passing time.

There was only one way to overcome this disaster.

It was a choice that could bring substantial damage to the town of Loine if one step was wrong.

Rei made up her mind.

And then, she verbalized the only strategy that could ensure Loine’s survival from within all the possibilities she could think of.

“We will defeat the boss monster.”